Throughout his childhood he was influenced by the musics that were coexisting in Egypt. The sound of Arabic music entered into his life at that time and has continued until today as one of his biggest influences. At the age of ten, he was intrigued by Jazz and learnt to play the trumpet. As a young boy he also attended the choir of the Greek Byzantine church of Alexandria and sang for five years as a soloist.
However, when Artemios reached the age of fifteen, his life changed. It was the time of the Suez Canal crisis. His family left Egypt and immigrated to their homeland Greece. Artemios then had to work to support his family. During the day he attended school and, at night, he played the trumpet in various clubs in Athens. Two years later, his first band, "The Idols" was formed. Artemios played the Bass Guitar and sang backing vocals as well. One day, as the lead singer needed to rest, he asked Artemios to replace him for a few songs. That night, when Artemios sang "The House Of The Rising Sun" and "When A Man Loves A Woman" the audience was amazed. From then on Artemios was asked to sing again and again.
Within a short period, Artemios was making a sound reputation. It was at this time that he met the man who would later become one of his most successful composer, Lakis Vlavianos. From that meeting a new band was born, the "We Five", with Artemios as the lead singer.
In 1968 Artemios’s journey crossed the road of two other top Greek musicians, Vangelis Papatanassiou and Loukas Sideras. Their associationbecame one of the biggest musical events of the seventies in the form of "Aphrodite’s Child". This ambitious band decided to travel to the United Kingdom for better commercial prospects. Artemios--who had now shortened his name to Demis--would be the singer and the bass player, Vangelis the main composer as well as the keyboard player, and Loukas would play the drums.
However, they were refused entry to the United Kingdom for lack of a work permit. Instead, Aphrodite's Child travelled to Paris, arriving just as the city was going through the May 68 revolution. After a few concerts in some trendy Parisian clubs, a major company offered to record a song of theirs, one that was inspired by Pachelbel‘s canon called "Rain And Tears". This first album of Aphrodite’s Child sold over a million copies in France alone.
Nine months later, as Demis first daughter, Emily, was born, "Rain And Tears" was the top single all over Europe and a top 20 single in the United Kingdom. The band experienced a huge success for three years.
They then released their legendary last album “666”, after which, for various reasons, Aphrodite's Child decided to split up.
Since Demis was one of the main elements of the band, the record company offered him a chance to recorded his first solo single, "We Shall Dance", which was released on the album "On the Greek Side of My Mind". This album and the single jumped into the top five of all the national hit parades of Italy, Spain, France, Holland, Germany and Scandinavia.
Some months later, Demis met with his old friend of the "We Five", Lakis Vlavianos. Lakis was then going through an inspired period and wrote many songs which Demis recorded; these turned into a string of number one hits all over the world, including: "Forever And Ever", "My Friend the Wind", and "Velvet Morning".
After his second child, Cyril, was born in 1975, Demis toured the globe for eight years with his second wife and child. In Brazil, he packed a stadium of 150 000 people--an event that was achieved in that particular stadium twice only. (The other previous artist was Frank Sinatra.) In fact, Demis sold enough records to gain a name in the Guinness Book of records among the personalities of show business in the 70’s and the eighties. He was awarded more than a hundred golden, platinum, and diamond albums and cassettes.
His unique dressing style was often considered eccentric but Demis was following his instinct which told him that the music he was performing should match with the combination of looks between the glorious Byzantine Empire and the Arabic Caftan.
In 1978 his instinct told him again that he should retire for a while, thinking of new things concerning his career and life. And so he took his family to an area of the world where he was unknown, Malibu Beach, California. There, Demis lost over 50 kilograms. He returned to Europe and lived a quieter life between England and Greece, alone with his son, Cyril.
On June 14 1985, wile he was travelling from Athens to Rome, a decisive event occurred. Demis’s TWA airplane was hijacked by terrorists. After two days in that plane praying, Demis was held three days in the prison of Beyrouth with his third wife. Like many other survivors, he went through the shock of a traumatic experience. After that, Demis said he had never understood so well the importance of the nations living in peace and how precious life is when you see death so close. He felt more than ever that his contribution for a better tomorrow could be via music and so decided to return to the recording and performance scene.
He recorded twenty songs and compiled an album called "The story of Demis Roussos". With this album, Demis started to world tour again and found a nostalgic audience who had missed his magic voice. In 1986 Demis toured the USSR for three weeks and was invited to join important scientists, writers and artists at the forum for peace and disarmament in Moscow, during February 1987.
Later that year, during a tight TV schedule in Chile, Demis insisted on fitting in a visit to the Earth summit in Rio to get a clearer picture of the environmental problems, which were a main concern for Demis.
Since then Demis had been a regular visitor of the charts with singles such as "Quand je t’aime" and "On écrit sur les murs", and albums such as "Voice and Vision" and "Immortel".
Since 2008, Demis had been living in Greece by the sea. After being one of the most talented singers of his century, Demis was still working on more magical offerings, with the blessing of music and God.
He died aged 68, on the Hygeia Hospital in Athens on January 25, 2015.
Goddbye My Love Goodbye
Demis Roussos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It knows I'm leaving you today
Please don't cry oh my heart will break
When I go on my way
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
Goodbye and au revoir
As long as you remember me
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
I always will be true
So hold me in your dreams 'til I
Come back to you
See the stars in the skies above
They'll shine wherever I may roam
I will pray every lonely night
That soon they'll guide me home
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
Goodbye and au revoir
As long as you remember me
I'll never be too far
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
I always will be true
So hold me in your dreams 'til I
Come back to you
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
Goodbye and au revoir
As long as you remember me
I'll never be too far
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
I always will be true
So hold me in your dreams 'til I
Come back to you
The lyrics of "Goodbye My Love Goodbye" by Demis Roussos are about leaving a loved one behind and hoping that they will never be forgotten. The singer is telling his love not to cry, but he knows that his departure is going to break her heart. He promises, however, that he will always be true to her and he urges her to remember him while he is away. The lyric "hear the wind sings a sad old song" portrays the feeling of sadness and melancholy associated with the departure. The singer is going to a place unknown, but he wishes to be remembered and holds on to the hope that his loved one will welcome him back with open arms.
One interpretation of the song is that it could be about a long-distance relationship. The singer is leaving his lover behind, and the only way he can keep their love alive is if she remembers him. The stars that he mentions are symbolic of their love that will shine brightly, wherever he may roam. He prays every lonely night that they will guide him back to the one he loves.
Another interpretation is that the lyrics could be about death. The singer may be saying goodbye to his lover before he leaves this world, and he is asking her to remember him after he is gone. He promises to always be true to her, even in death.
Overall, the lyrics of "Goodbye My Love Goodbye" are touching and heartfelt. They convey the feelings of love, longing, and hope that are universal to all human beings.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear the wind sings a sad old song
The melancholic wind echoes my emotions as I prepare to say goodbye to you.
It knows I'm leaving you today
The wind is aware of my impending departure from your life.
Please don't cry oh my heart will break
Your tears will break my heart as I leave you behind.
When I go on my way
As I start my journey, our love story comes to a close.
Goodbye, my love, goodbye
This is it - goodbye to the sweet moments shared between us.
Goodbye and au revoir
Saying goodbye and till we meet again in French, as we part ways.
As long as you remember me
As long as our memories of love stay alive in your heart.
I'll never be too far
I may be physically far from you now, but always remember, I'm never too far.
See the stars in the skies above
The same stars above me right now, will be above you when I'm gone.
They'll shine wherever I may roam
The stars will be my companion no matter where I go, as a reminder of our love.
I will pray every lonely night
In my lonely nights, I will pray to come home to you soon.
That soon they'll guide me home
I hope the twinkling stars above will be my guiding light to come back to you soon.
So hold me in your dreams 'til I
Just like in your dreams, keep me in your heart until I return to you.
Come back to you
I promise to return to the precious love that we share.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Klaus Munro, Mario Panas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aparecida Ramalho
DEMIS, a VOZ que alcançou o mais íntimo do meu ser, de modo tão intenso que não consigo expressar em palavras. Obrigada, meu IDOLO, pelas músicas que o manterão etrrnamente VIVO.
Danielle Camilo
Ele morreu quando eu era adolescente e eu chorei. Eu amo suas músicas. Hoje tenho 25 anos e nunca parei de escutar… Imortal!
ÆN
Tenho 37 😊
Patsy R
Thank you. Demis Rousoss sings like an angel in my view. Would love to see him in concert & be able to express to him persoanlly how this song affects me. God Bless!
Anouska Goessens
My grandmother choose this song for the funeral of my granddaddy. I’ve never heard this song till that day and now I’ll never forget.
Kihara Ruthuku
That was such a beautiful ❤️ lovely choice 👌👌
✨Kirsty✨
Mine too
David Wake
it is so good pleased 4 u
Heaven'S DevilS M
Same we sad goodbye to my grsnd mother wensday and she had this song so beutyfull
Susan Vaughan-schiele
That's beautiful. Truly.